Woman sleeping in bed with her partner woke up to discover she was being sexually assaulted, court hears

An intruder was looking for cannabis when he stumbled into a New Malden couple’s bedroom in the early hours of the morning, a court has heard.

Arnold Nhliziyo, 33, of Elm Road, New Malden denies burglary and sexual assault on November 10 last year.

Kingston Crown Court heard the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had been in bed with her partner at about 5am when she felt her pubic hair being tugged and asked him to stop.

Giving evidence today, she said: "What I felt was like a pinching and a pulling between my thighs sort of low down.”

She said she told her partner: “F*** off. What is up with you? What are you doing?”

Jurors heard she fell asleep as her partner comforted her and tickled her back before she was woken again.

Her partner told the court she asked: "Why are you pinching me down there?’

"I said ‘have I ever done a thing like that to you?’

"I was annoyed with her. I thought it was one of her dreams."

But soon after he said he heard a creak and saw a shadow at the end of the double bed.

He said: “I jumped from one side of my bed to the other to challenge this guy.

"Nothing was really said. I was shouting – I can’t remember what.”

Jurors heard how he chased the man out of the bedroom and down the stairs before the alleged attacker escaped out of the unlocked front door, only to attempt to get back in moments later after seeing police patrolling nearby.

The woman’s partner said: “It was like something out [of] the Disney film."

Prosecutor David Brock said: "He was not invited to be there. He went in looking for cannabis. The door was open."

The victim said she had previously seen her alleged attacker at the shops.

But defence counsel Anthony Montgomery suggested Mr Nhliziyo, who is originally from Zimbabwe, was at the house to buy drugs after buying from her in the summer.

He said: "You agreed on a transaction with him in the summer.

"There was a cannabis transaction wasn’t there? You were involved selling cannabis to him in the summer.”

Ipsoregulated

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